


Mutual Protection

by Oliver__Niko



Series: Fluff Bingo [2]
Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Battle Couple, F/F, Fluff, Protectiveness, Romantic Fluff, Very Very Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:41:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23105659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oliver__Niko/pseuds/Oliver__Niko
Summary: Loving someone means you will always have their back, and they will have yours.Rita dwells on how much she wishes to protect those she loves, Estelle in particular. How mutual this protectiveness is becomes apparent as they fight alongside one another.
Relationships: Estellise Sidos Heurassein/Rita Mordio
Series: Fluff Bingo [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1658830
Comments: 10
Kudos: 36
Collections: Writing Squad Fluff Bingo





	Mutual Protection

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh, I just knew I'd have at least a couple of Estelle/Rita requests for this fluff bingo. I had a lovely time writing this, and hope you enjoy. Thank you, Mint, for the prompt! 'Protecting someone you love.'
> 
> Link to request either a fluff or angst fic (must be following): https://twitter.com/Oliver__Niko/status/1236944421284970497?s=20

When you have been alone for most of your life, it can be difficult learning what it means for others to have your back. A mutual responsibility is formed. You have someone keeping an eye out for you, to help keep you on your feet, and you do the same for them simultaneously.

It’s not easy. Rita can see how one can lose relationships of all kinds. Trust is earned, but earning it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be there forever. Pushing through hardships, protecting each other, being the shoulder for them to cry on if they need it—countless efforts, a resolve to maintain the love you’ve developed, are needed to keep that bond.

Some time ago, perhaps Rita might have deemed it all too difficult. What use is there in exerting this effort, when that energy can be spared for other responsibilities instead? But that’s not Rita now. She understands why it is just as important, perhaps even more so, to keep these bonds strong. They cannot be let go.

Not with the family she has found in her companions, and certainly not with the girl her heart has grown to love.

Their journey requires both to stand on the battlefield. Your life is on the line so often, you almost become desensitised to your own safety. One might deem others fighting alongside you as a hindrance. Even if there is assistance in fighting, it means having to form strategies that require you to think of others’ safety, and said safety may distract you. However, Rita has learned that keeping others safe means doing the same for herself, too. She may become desensitised to protecting her own life, but she will _never_ do so with those she loves—and she knows they feel the same for her, meaning that no one, not a single person, is going to fall.

She did lose Estelle. But that had not been her life. She returned in the end, and now that she has done so, Rita swears that she will do everything she can in order to protect her. She will not, and cannot, lose Estelle again.

That fear plagues her mind. Never has she felt such a strong duty to protect someone else. And perhaps as she torments herself over this thought, she forgets this protectiveness goes both ways.

“Two down, way too many to go,” says Yuri, a fiery glint in his eyes. Rita grins. A blue casting circle appears at her feet, as she prepares the spell she knows will help take them all at once, but …

“Wait, Estelle, I’m fine!” Karol shouts. He’s rubbing his arm, injured from a monster, and Estelle prepares to heal him—but another monster is aiming straight for her.

 _Tidal Wave will take too long,_ Rita thinks to herself. Panicked, but not stripped of the ability to change plans in an instant, she breathes out and switches course.

“ _Champagne!”_ she shouts, the monster enveloped in the water by its feet. Estelle has finished her own incantation simultaneously.

“Thank you, Rita!” comes Estelle’s reply, able to slash her sword at the monster. Rita nods, about to prepare another spell, but is given no time at all before she hears Judith shout her name. Or at least, this is what she imagines the distant sound is—the mighty paw of a beast colliding into her causes her ears to ring, her block only reducing part of the damage.

“ _Ah!”_

She flies back onto the floor. Her face creases as she attempts to crouch; she has landed awkwardly on her leg. The monster is prowling towards her. Her hands are in front of her, ready to cast her fireballs.

But she does not have to.

“ _Photon!”_ Estelle’s voice, much closer than Rita would anticipate. The light magic blasts the monster back, falling down to its stomach. Rita blinks to sharpen her blurred vision.

Estelle’s figure comes into focus in front of her. She’s crouching, healing Rita’s leg with one hand, the other holding her shield up to protect them.

“E-Estelle? When did you—”

“I ran over here as quickly as I could.” She’s breathless, emphasising this, yet still able to hold the shield in place as the monster launches itself at it. She throws it back, the hand which healed Rita scooping up her sword from the floor. Swipes of it finally slay the monster.

“You both all right?” yells Yuri, now able to run over. Repede is by his side.

Estelle nods, turning back to Rita. “ _Are_ you okay?” she asks, holding her hand out to Rita. “Is your leg better?”

“Yeah … Yeah, it’s fine.” Rita accepts the help to getting to her feet. “Estelle, you didn’t have to—”

“You’ve all protected me enough, and saved me. I want to do the same for you.”

Rita cannot do anything but stare at that smile she is given. A tongue runs over Rita’s lips, a thousand words she has to say, without barely a second to give a single one.

“Guys!” Karol’s shout brings their attention back to the remaining monsters. They swivel around, both stood in their offensive stance.

“We protect each other, all right?” says Rita, an incantation circle once again at her feet.

“Right!” says Estelle, as bright as the sun itself.

* * *

Rita grunts as she pulls off her boots, falling back onto the bed with her arms stretched out.

“Tired?” says Estelle in amusement.

“A bit. We did so much training today.” Her head turns on its side, eyes finding Estelle. The latter is stood by the window with her arms folded. Even as she speaks to Rita, her eyes are fixed on the world outside, taking in the sunset that stretches across the horizon. “Are you thinking about something?”

“I suppose I am a little. It’s what I told you today, about wanting to protect you.”

“Ah, that.” Rita sits up. “I have stuff to say about that, too.”

“Such as?”

“Nah, you go first.”

“Well, I feel like I said everything today. I want to protect you all, especially you.” Estelle heads to the bed, which sinks as she sits next to Rita. “I was gone for a long time. _Too_ long. And I tried to hurt you all, which I still feel awful about.”

Rita shakes her head. “That wasn’t your fault. We don’t blame you for anything that has happened.”

“I know, and I appreciate that. But I want to get stronger, so I never have to worry any of you again. I want to be the one to protect _you,_ not need saving.”

“You do realise that this is all you’ve done, since we started fighting together?”

“Huh?” Estelle blinks, genuinely confused. “What do you mean?”

“W-Well, I thought it’d be obvious.” Rita looks at the floor, fingers playing with the bow at the front of her clothes. “We were seriously screwed without your healing artes. Well, we got through okay, but man. It made me realise just how important you are in our battles, even more than I already knew.”

“That’s not really anything special …”

“Are you _kidding?”_ Rita forces her eyes on Estelle, her determination for the other to understand far stronger than any embarrassment. “I bet I’d be dead already if it wasn’t for you! Healing me like you did today, and not even just that—you can fight too, and you’ve protected me a lot when I’m vulnerable and casting spells.”

“But—”

“No buts.” Rita averts her gaze. “You’re way stronger than you think. It’s thanks to you that we’ve even made it this far.”

A silence falls. Expressing so much so quickly, Rita cannot bring herself to look at Estelle, although doesn’t have to see that face to know Estelle is contemplating this. And really, to Rita, there isn’t anything at all to consider. Estelle is tough. Being captured has not reduced her to a damsel in distress, not for a single second, and Rita would never let anyone say anything different.

That includes Estelle herself.

“Thank you, Rita,” says Estelle eventually. Rita blinks and drops her gaze to her hand; Estelle has taken it into her own. “I’ve worried a lot about this. I don’t ever want to be a burden on you, but sometimes …”

“You feel like that’s the case,” Rita finishes for her. “I get that. But I’m not one to lie. You’re far from a burden, and that’s the truth.”

Estelle squeezes Rita’s hand. “I know. And thank you. You’ve protected me too, don’t forget that.”

“Obviously. That’s what we’re meant to do, right? Have each other’s back?”

“Right.” Estelle lifts this hand, Rita blinking as a kiss is placed onto the back of it. “But even so, I’m still going to get stronger. I want to keep on protecting you as much as I can!”

“Let go,” Rita grumbles. Estelle does the exact opposite, smiling as she plants several other fast, light kisses onto her hand. “Ugh, you’re hopeless.”

“ _Hopelessly_ in love with you!”

“… Are you for real?”

Estelle’s gentle giggles turns to full blown laughter. As Rita grins, about to laugh herself, there are lips meeting hers. She blinks, taken by surprise, although is quick to close her eyes and lean into the hand cupping her warm cheek.

“You know,” says Rita, backing away after several moments, “all this talk of yours makes you sound like a knight, almost.”

“A knight, huh?”

“Yeah. _Way_ more of a knight than a princess.”

Estelle hums. “I quite like the sound of that. I wonder if I could be both?”

“Who knows? I mean, you’ve basically done all you want to on this journey so far. Might as well keep at it.”

“You’re quite right.” Estelle leans in for another kiss, leaving a second on Rita’s cheek. “So let’s promise to get through this and keep on protecting each other, okay?”

Rita smiles, her fingers tucking strands of pink hair behind Estelle’s ears. “Always.”


End file.
